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Cole Gallant Commits to Western Michigan

Omaha captain is second on the team in scoring.

Photo by Hickling Images

Omaha Lancers captain Cole Gallant has committed to play college hockey at Western Michigan University.

“It is a huge honor to be apart of such a great university,“ Gallant said. “My deciding factors was that they have an amazing coaching staff and it is in a great league for development for my future after college hockey and after hockey itself.”

Gallant, 19, has played 23 games for the Lancers this season and has netted 7 goals and 14 points. His 21 points are second among the Lancers and put him just outside the top-10 in scoring in the USHL.

“WMU loves how hard I am on the puck. They also love my 200-foot game and my skill set,” Gallant said. “The USHL and being on Omaha has helped me so much these past couple years. It is the best developmental league for college and has shaped me into the player that I am now."

“Omaha gave me an opportunity that I didn’t have elsewhere and I took it the opportunity and made something of it. I played in Florida till I was the age of 12 and then moved away from home to Michigan to start billeting when I was 13 for the betterment of my hockey career because hockey in Florida was folding. It has been the best decision to move away at such a young age because it shaped me into who I am today.”

Gallant has played in the USHL for four consecutive seasons, beginning with the Fargo Force in 2014-15 before being acquired by Omaha last year. He has amassed 52 points (25G, 27A) in 134 career USHL games. Prior to his time in the USHL, he played for Honeybaked (HPHL). With his announcement, Gallant becomes the 16th player to have played for Omaha this season that is committed to play college hockey.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the USHL celebrates its 16th season as the nation's only Tier I junior hockey league in 2017-18. 30 or more players from the USHL have been selected in five consecutive NHL Drafts, and more than 400 players on team rosters last season committed to NCAA Division I schools, further establishing the USHL as the world’s foremost producer of junior hockey talent.